Report from 136 session of the WHO Executive Board

WHO/Christopher Black

26 JANUARY – 4 FEBRUARY 2015 | GENEVA SWITZERLAND - The WHO Executive Board started with a Special Session on Ebola which set the tone for the critical examination of WHO’s work within a perspective of greater transparency. For the first time ever, the Executive board was webcast worldwide and live from Geneva. Thousands took the opportunity to watch and listen to the discussions, which went late into the evening and weekends. Several Reports touched on adolescent health, child nutrition, inter-personal violence and women’s health to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals

27 January 2015 -- Donors have today committed US$ 7.539 billion over the next 5 years to deliver vaccines and immunization to Gavi-supported countries. With this funding, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance will be able to help countries immunize an additional 300 million children with the 11 vaccines recommended by WHO for infants. The success of today’s pledging conference signals a renewed global effort to dramatically accelerate action to extend the full benefits of immunization to children and women in the world’s poorest countries.

On 20 November 1989, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a landmark – the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention recognises that children are human beings and more than just ‘passive objects of care and charity’ who are entitled to the enjoyment of a distinct set of rights in accordance with their specific needs. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely and rapidly adopted international treaty of all time, with more than 190 member states having ratified it.

25 November 2014 -- WHO joins organizations and individuals worldwide in observing the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, an annual event to raise awareness and accelerate progress towards ending the global scourge of violence against women and girls.

Estimates suggest that one in three women globally have experienced either physical or sexual violence from a partner, or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their lives, and that levels of violence against women and girls remain extremely high.